Feeding mechanism for oil drilling



July 8 1924c l.5fi0,i86 J. D. GIBBS FEEDING MECHANISM FOR OIL DRILLING Filed April 2, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 J w B I WWWWW e- M I m. I

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J. D. GIBBS FEEDING MECHANISM FOR OIL DRILLING Filed ADril 2, 1921 latented July 8, 1924.

PATENT OFFICE.-

J'AMES '.D. GIBBS, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

vFTEId'lDIhTG- MECHANISM FOR OIL DRILLING.

Application filed April 2, 1921. Serial No. 458,150.

To all to ham it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES D. Grass, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Oil Drilling, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates specifically to that part of oil drilling equipment technically known as the temper screw, by means of which the operator serves out or feeds the drill line as the drill penetrates the structure below, and which has, as a further function, the taking up or gradual raising of the line when an upward movement of the drilling bit is required.

The objects of my invention are, first, to obviate the dangerous and laborous task of turning the screw by hand, as at present; second, to maintain a regular and uniform feed of the drill, graduated with reference to the quality of the formation being penetrated; and third, to accelerate the drilling by utilizing the available power, thereby increasing the depthor extent of hole drilled in a given period of time. i g

7 To attain these objects I employ the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in whichFigure 1 is a general view of the screw and its related parts in operation; Fig. 2, is a side view of the improved portion of the screw and its actuating mechanism; Fig. 3 isa central, vertical section corresponding to Fig. 2, taken in the plane of the paper; Fig. 4, is a front view of the mechanism omitting the sheave wheel an, which is represented by a dotted circle; Fig. 5 is a central verticalsection corresponding to Fig. l, taken in the plane of the sheet; Fig. 6, I is a plan view of the split-nut sectioned on line 66 of'Fig. 3, Fig. 6 is an elevation of one member 2' of the split nut and Fig. 7, is a view of the ratchet wheel and a portion of the pawl lever showing one of the pawls and its retaining spring.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Heretofore it has been the principal function of the driller to turn the screw by means of handle bars and as the customary length of screw is five or six feet it is necessary for driller to stand upon a stool or ladder having, usually, threesteps or platforms, in order to let out or take up by hand the full length of screw.

It it a well known fact that the drill line frequently undergoes a very violent and irregular sidewise motion at a stroke of the walking-beam and, as a result of such action, the drillers position on the stool is both dangerous and strenuous and it is the purpose of my invention to eliminatethis irksome and hazardous physical effort andpromote mental efficiency on the'part of the driller.

It will be seen. from the general view, Fig. 1, of the drawing, that I employ the'recip rocating movement of the walking-beam to accomplish what has heretofore been done by hand and as I utilize the downward stroke of the beam it will be readily seen that no'additional'draught upon the power is involved. 7

In construction, the pendent or frame A,

and the screw B, are similar to those commonly in use, the only difference being'the keyseat a, extending through the lengthof the screw.

At the lower extremity of the frame If form a cylindricalbox or housing I), the studs 00 on two opposite sides, and the stirrup cl, providing a suitable bearing for the bevel gear 6. The gear '6, isfitted with a key a which slidably engages the key-seat (1, whereby the screw proper is turned without any impediment to its vertical movement;

Mounted upon each stud is a bevel gear 77 of the split nut travel outwardly when the screws are turned in one direction and inwardly when turned in the opposite direction, thus releasing the screw from" the nut, or the reverse as desired. In order to turn the two screws y'j, simultaneously and in unison, I provide small gear wheels at, mounted upon the projecting ends of the screws and between the gears 7070, an actuating gear Z to which is attached a sheavewheel m, which, by means of a rope n, hangon the other end, whereby the two parts ii,

ing within reach of the operator, can be readily and conveniently rotated from the floor whenever it is necessary to tighten or release the split-nut.

In practical operation it is required frequently that theanovement of the screw be upward and it will readily be seen that when one of the pawls hit, is engaged with its ratchet wheel the bevel gear 6, is turned in one direction, and when the other pawl is engaged the motion is reversed, by which means the screw is caused to move upward or downward at the will of the operator.

In Fig. 1, of the drawing the plan or method of utilizing the motion of the walking-beam D, to perform the drillers function of turning the screw is clearly illustrated. I attach to the post E,(exclusively known among oil drillers as the head-ache post), a vertical ratchet bar F, having mounted upon it a sliding pawl 0. This pawl has a scope of movement corresponding with the greatest stroke of pawl-swing C, and is provided with means for attaching the rope p, which extends upwardly to and over two small pulleys 99, mounted upon a small wooden beam 7, (extending from the Sampson post to the post E and projecting preferably about 28 inches therefrom), thence downwardly to the free end of the pawl lever C, to which it is securely attached.

It is well that the screw turns with least friction just after the end of the walkingbeam has reached the limit of its upward stroke and starts its downward movement, and it is at that moment that the driller turns the screw. While the power is ample to turn the screw at any point of the beams movement, it will readily be seen that less wear willbe entailed upon the screw and split nut by utilizing the downward motion of the beam, though it is entirely practicable to use the upward stroke or, with slight modification of the mechanism, both the upward and downward strokes if desired.

When the downward stroke is utilized, the normal position of the pawl-swing is downward as appears in Fig. 2, and after the swing reaches the end of its upward stroke, as shown in Fig. 1, it is dependably returned to its normal position by gravitation. It will be understood, however, that a spring may be employed if desired.

customarily, in standard oil drilling equipment, the crankof the main drive shaft, which operates the walking-beam, is providedwith five holes or centers for the wristepin, whereby five different lengths of stroke are imparted to the beam, and in order to meet the requirementof this variation I employ at the lower end of the rope p, a series of links 88, having their distances from center to center to correspond with the wrist-pin centers in the crank.

In the practical use of my mechanism, the operator, by pulling upon the rope a, over the sheave g, releases the split-nut ii, and lifts the screw until all of it is within its frame A, after which, by means of the same rope n, he closes the two parts of the nutupon the screw; he then attaches the lower end of the rope g) to the pawl-slide 0, using the link 8, corresponding with the hole in which the wrist pin is fixed upon the crank, and the mechanism is ready to perform its function.

It is a well established fact in oil drilling that some formations yield much more readily to the impact of the drill-bit than others, making a wide range of feeding necessary. It will be seen that if the pawl 0, is pushed down to the bottom of the ratchet bar F, the pawl-swing C will attain its fullest stroke, imparting to the mechanism a rapid feeding movement. On the other hand, if the pawl 0, is set at the extreme top of the ratchet bar, the feeding ceases entirely. By the manipulation of the pawl .0,

therefore, the feed of the bit may be graduated from the slightest or no feed at all up to the maximum that any geological formation will admit.

It is obvious that the specific form of many of the parts of my mechanism, and also the arrangement of their grouplngcan, wlthout departlng from the principle set forth, be subjected to many modifications,

one of which I would mention, to-wit: the

split-nut and the keyseat may be eliminated and the bevel gear 6, become the threaded nut, directly actuated by the pawls hh. Such a modification of my mechanism would simplify it, but would necessitate running the screw back by the reverse motion of the said gear 6.

Having thus described my invention, .I claim:

1. In well drilling apparatus a walking from, a nut carried by said pendant, a drill:

supporting screw engaging said nut, a member rotatably carried by said pendant and splined to said screw, a swing lever articulated on said pendant, pawl and ratchet mechanism interposed between said swing lever and rotatable member, and a flexible element having one end connected to said swing lever and its other end adjustably connected to a fixed support, the intermediate portion of said flexible element being carried over an elevated guide.

3. In well drilling apparatu a walking beam, a pendant supported thereby, a nut carried by said pendant, a drill supporting screw engaging said nut, a bevel gear rotatably carried by the pendant and splined to said screw, a second bevel gear supported by the pendant and engaging said first named gear, a ratchet wheel connected with said second gear, a swing lever fulcrumed about the axis of said ratchet Wheel and carrying a pawl cooperating with said ratchet wheel, and flexible means connecting said swing lever with a fixed support.

4. In well drilling apparatus a walking beam, a pendant supported thereby, a nut carried by said pendant, a drill supporting screw engaging said nut, a bevel gear rotatably carried by the pendant and splined to said screw, a pair of bevel gears carried by the pendant and meshing with said first named gear, reversely arranged ratchet wheels connected respectively with said gears, swing lever arms fulcrumed about the axis of said ratchet wheels and carrying pawls cooperating with said ratchet wheels, and means for flexibly connecting said lever arms to a fixed support.

5. In well drilling apparatus a walking beam, a pendant supported thereby, a nut carried by said pendant, a drill supporting screw engaging said nut, a bevel gear rotatably carried by the pendant and splined to said screw, a second bevel gear supported by the pendant and engaging said first named gear, a ratchet wheel connected with said second gear, a swing lever fulcrumed about the axis of said ratchet wheel and carrying a pawl cooperating with said ratchet wheel, a flexible element connected to said swing lever and passing over a pulley located at a higher elevation than said lever and thence downwardly, and means for adjustably connecting said downwardly extending portion to a fixed support.

6. In well drilling apparatus, a walking beam, a pendant carried thereby having a threaded part, a drill supporting screw engaging said threaded part, reversely arranged pawl and ratchet mechanism carried by said pendant and having connections for rotating said screw, swing lever arms carried by the pendant for operating said pawl and ratchet mechanism, and flexible means for connecting said lever arms to a fixed support.

7. In well drilling apparatus, a walking beam, a pendant carried thereby, a pair of half nuts slidably carried by said pendant, a drill adjusting screw rotatably carried between said half nuts, screw means for mov ing said half nuts into and out of engagement with the screw, flexible means for operating said screw means and means for ro-' tating said drill adjusting screw.

8. In well drilling apparatus, a walking beam, a pendant carried thereby, a pair of half nuts slidaloly carried by said pendant,

a drill adjusting screw rotatively carried be-' tween said half nuts, screw means for moving said half nuts into and out of engage JAMES n. GIBBS.

Witnesses:

JNo. H. CooHRAN, Jr., I. LEE LUSK. 

